6 Ways to Use Facebook For Good

Social media is a powerful tool.

When you’re on the go, it's hard to receive and offer an encouraging word. Facebook can be the gateway to reach others with positive vibes. Many people use Scripture and share inspiring videos to help each other. Find a powerful Bible verse in your morning devotion and post it. Want to pray for people? Well, post a prayer and take prayer requests and even set up a Bible study time. But don’t be a whiner who complains about everything. "Let your words be encouraging and build up people. That's not to say that you shouldn't speak to current matters, but just know that you can't make a full argument in 140 characters," author Neil Kennedy shared on fivestarman.com. Start recognizing the best qualities that others around you have to offer, instead of focusing on flaws and on other people's flaws. Show appreciation and respect for the good things that your family, friends and colleagues do for you each and every day, and sequentially encourage them to do the same for others.

It provides a sense of community.

Help others lose weight or create a community people can inspire each other to do so. Use Facebook on your weight-loss journey with friends to receive and get needed support. Using a mobile app could help people lose an average of 15 pounds and those who also adopted community-support benefits of social media lost more weight than their less-connected peers. A Northwestern Medicine study found: "People who used the mobile phone technology and attended 80 percent of the health education sessions lost 15 pounds and maintained the loss for one year." Since Facebook fosters community, it can help people remain on track with accountability. Also, posting before and after photos during a weight-loss quest can be empowering for you and for others.

It can help parents.

Use your talents for good. If you’re a mom start a community to help other moms and set activities up to meet and to encourage each other. According to the United Health Group.com, 96 percent of people who volunteered said volunteering enriches their sense of purpose. Instead of scanning Facebook for mindless chatter, or to scrutinize other moms, use your talents to better local families in the community.

According to Civic Science, about 9 percent of U.S. online consumers over the age of 13 consider themselves addicted to their digital devices. What if we used it to advance the goodness in the world or spent more time counteracting the negativity unearthed in recent studies on social media? People have been using social media to spread awareness and whether it is a Facebook group or sharing links to charities, making a move to improve the world is better than making no move at all. Social media can help save lives, offer people inspiration and help those too weak to defend themselves.